Nicholas Lane facts for kids

Nicholas Lane (born around 1585, died 1644) was an English surveyor and mapmaker. He was very active in the early 1600s and became well-known for his work for King Charles I.

Nicholas Lane's Early Life

Nicholas Lane was likely born in or near Cobham, Surrey. We don't know his exact birth year, but records suggest it was around 1585. When he was young, he became an apprentice to Robert Jennings in Kingston upon Thames. An apprentice learns a trade by working for an expert.

Robert Jennings was a fisherman married to Nicholas's sister, Beatrice. Nicholas's younger brother, Henry, also worked with Jennings. They leased a small island in the Thames river near Kingston. Knowing the Thames river would have been helpful for Nicholas later in his career. Nicholas described himself as a "yeoman," which meant he was a free landowner who farmed his own land. He also said he was skilled in "the art of measuring," which he practiced often.

Starting His Career as a Surveyor

Nicholas Lane began working as a professional surveyor by 1613. One of his first jobs was mapping lands at Painshill. This land was part of a disagreement between two people, Robert Bickerstaffe and James Starr.

Later, he surveyed the manor of Slyfield in Great Bookham. This was to help settle a dispute about its sale. Nicholas used special tools like a chain and a plane table for his surveys. A chain was used to measure distances, and a plane table helped him draw maps directly in the field. His measurements were very accurate. One of his maps was found to be over 99% accurate!

In the 1620s, Nicholas worked for John Goode and his son, Sebastian Goode. He mapped land at Chessington in 1621. This land was part of a manor claimed by Merton College, Oxford. Nicholas later mapped the entire manor for Sebastian Goode. This area was involved in a long argument about the border between the college's land and the Royal estate of Nonsuch Park. Nicholas's map from 1627 helped record how this argument was settled.

Working for the King

As Nicholas Lane became more famous, he started working for more important people, including the King. In the late 1630s, he was hired by the Crown (the King's government) for two big projects: creating Richmond Park and building the Longford River.

Mapping Richmond Park

Nicholas Lane created a map of Richmond Park. This map showed different paths for the park's outer wall. The King chose one of these paths in January 1638.

Designing the Longford River

In the same year, Nicholas was asked to plan how to bring water from the River Colne to Hampton Court Palace. He designed a channel that was 19,000 meters long (about 12 miles) and dropped 8 meters (about 26 feet) in height. This channel was dug in just over nine months! The new river supplied water to the fountains at Hampton Court and later to the water features in Bushy Park. Nicholas Lane is also thought to have designed the layout of Bushy Park.

Work in the Fens

Nicholas Lane also worked for the King in an area called the Fens. These were large, marshy lands. His drawings of big areas between Peterborough and Wisbech still exist today. He likely designed water management plans for these areas, which might have led to his work on the Longford River.

By this time, Nicholas's son, Nicholas Jr., was helping him with his work. In 1637, he took another son, Thomas, as his apprentice. Both Nicholas Sr. and Jr. signed a map of Putney they worked on together in 1636/37.

Nicholas Lane's last known work might be a 1640 map of lands in Wonersh. He had also mapped estates in Sussex for Viscount Montagu some years before. A map from 1642 of a small part of Horton is thought to be his, but it might have been signed by his son, Nicholas Jr.

Nicholas Lane died in 1644 and was buried in Kingston. He had lived in Wood Street there and had been a churchwarden, which is a person who helps manage church affairs.

Why Nicholas Lane's Work Matters Today

Nicholas Lane's maps that still exist are very important for historians. They help us understand what life was like in the past. For example, his map of Putney, combined with old tax records, has helped people learn a lot about that London suburb in the late 1600s. In 1787, his map even helped solve a disagreement about the border between Putney and Wandsworth parishes.

Known Maps by Nicholas Lane

Here are some of the maps Nicholas Lane made that we still have today:

• Lands at Painshill, Cobham, Surrey, November 1613
• Lands belonging to Faversham Grammar School and Ewell House, Kent, April 1615 (held by The Faversham Society)
• Oxdownes in Cobham parish, Surrey, 1618
• Malden Common and Chessington Park, Surrey, 1621
• Tenement at Bayhurst Hall, Little Bayhurst, and woods in Chertsey and Malden, March 1621
• Enclosures in the Royal Manor of Ligham and Balham, Surrey, 1622
• Manor of Beckenham, Kent, 1623
• Malden parish, Surrey, 1627
• Messuage called Blacknest in Keston, Kent, June 1630
• Manor of West Wickham, Kent, 1632
• Part of the Manor of Cryalls, Brenchley, Kent, August 1632
• Manor of Dagenham and Cockrels, Delland and Mauland, Romford, Essex, April 1633
• Greatworth, Northamptonshire, December 1634
• Manor of Skreens of Teyhall in Roxwell, Shellow Bowells and Willingale, Essex, July 1635
• Manor of Cocking, Midhurst, West Sussex, 1635
• Cowdray, Easbourn Priory and Verdley, Midhurst, West Sussex, February 1635/6
• Part of Putney parish, Surrey, 1637 (surveyed December 1636)
• Great Common Fen and its surroundings, showing drains and dikes, near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, 1637.
• The Fens in an area between Crowland and Eye, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, 1637.
• Part of Laddus Fen, showing Elm Leame, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Norfolk, 1637
• Richmond Common, Petersham Common and Mortlake Common, with parts of Roehampton, Kingston, Wimbledon and Combe, showing the extent of the “New Park” (Richmond Park), Surrey, 1637
• Copyhold lands in Wonersh, Surrey, 1640